4-nil England over Bulgaria: Defoe has the Stuff

There seemed to be a lot of anxiety for England fans before this match started. And all that anxiety turned into pure jubilation after England thrashed Bulgaria 4-0. Jermain Defoe capped off a dream start for the Three Lions by putting home a pass by Ashley Cole from 5 yards out. What really set up the goal was Wayne Rooney's brilliant chip pass to Ashley Cole who found Defoe.

Fabio "Cabbage Man" Capello came out with the much criticized 4-4-2 today. In my opinion though it wasn't the formation that made the difference today it was the quality of England in the final third. Wayne Rooney had three assists all of them were brilliant. As Roo played in more of a support striker role tonight, which was a very smart move by Capello as Rooney hasn't been scoring as of late. The role that Rooney played was a place that Rooney played when Cristiano Ronaldo was at Manchester United. The much criticized partnership of Defoe and Wayne Rooney were absolute dynamite on the pitch connecting time and time again.

England dominated the first half in all categories, as Bulgaria didn't have any real quality shots at goal. However, in the second half Bulgaria came out roaring getting some early chances. But young keeper Joe Hart was absolutely spectacular, pulling out saves left and right. One of those saves started an England counter attack that led to the 2nd goal. Joe Hart punched out a Bulgarian shot and the ball went right to Gareth Barry, who then led the ball to Wayne Rooney and Rooney found Defoe who slotted the ball right through the keeper's legs to make it 2-0. Michael Dawson picked up an injury which looked very bad on the replay, so Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill stepped up to the plate and put in a decent performance in the second half.

Arsenal ace Theo Walcott put in a decent performance on the wing, but it was his replacement Adam Johnson, who scored the third goal. It was Johnson's first international goal. England were in cruise control but they couldn't settle for 3 goals they wanted a fourth and it was a brilliant one. Wayne Rooney found Defoe on a diagonal run who finished it with sublime precision to make it 4-nil. Captain Steven Gerrard put in a workmen like performance tonight playing in that deep central midfield role. England tried to get Stevie G the ball as much as they could early in the game and he really was the reason why England dominated possession. I would still like to see Gerrard playing closer to goal, like he did against Hungary but nonetheless a good performance.

At times the back line of England were a bit shaky at times but they still got the job done. Phil Jagielka was at times not very convincing but still did enough. Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson weren't really tested a lot, but still did a good job on overlapping runs as well as locking up the wings.

Player Ratings:

Joe Hart 7: Good performance by the England keeper, was very sharp and when he was tested he was more than up for it.

Glen Johnson 5: Almost put the ball in his own net, but Johnson made runs when he could and if anything was a lot better tonight knowing when and when not to overlap.

Michael Dawson 5.5: Tough injury there for the Spurs defender, he was smooth for the most part. I really liked his distribution from central defense.

Phil Jagielka 5: Had trouble at times dealing with headers. Still was up for the task in difficult circumstances at times.

Ashley Cole 6: Assisted in Defoe's first goal, didn't seem distracted by the headlines about his personal life. He at times had trouble going back and defending, but for the most part was very good going forward.

Theo Walcott 6: Was dangerous on the wing, but at times didn't make the right decision when he had the ball in good positions, he also screwed up a couple chances. Still has a long way to go before being a world class player.

Steven Gerrard 6.5: Wasn't playing his natural position which is right under the striker. However was still effective in the central midfield. The England Captain will be happy with how he played tonight.

Gareth Barry 7: Had a great night breaking up Bulgaria's midfield. He went forward on a few occasions, which is very unusual but still found Rooney on the counterattack that led to Defoe's second goal.

James Milner 7: Wonderful performance by the Man City Midfielder. Milner was dangerous every time he touched the ball. He drove the Bulgarian right back nuts. His crosses at times weren't his best however, his skill on the ball was magical at times.

Wayne Rooney 8: He didn't score, but he sure was the playmaker. Three assists speaks for itself. The goals will come for Wayne but we are seeing Wayne Rooney on the verge to getting back to his best. Nearly had a goal when he tried chipping it over the goalkeeper which forced a great save.

Jermain Defoe 9.5: Almost considered giving him a 10. Defoe was nothing short of magnificent. The hat trick hero was dangerous with just about every run he made. He may have picked up a knock at the end of his third goal. England should be expecting big things from him come Tuesday.

Substitutes

Gary Cahill 6: Came in for the injured Michael Dawson and put in a fine shift in a tough situation. Very impressive stuff from the Bolton Wanderers defender. Shows a lot about his character.

Adam Johnson 7: Missed a golden opportunity for his first international goal. Luckily for him though he got a second chance and buried it. Decent strike, expect him to play a big part in the Euro 2012 campaign.

Ashley Young N/A: The Aston Villa winger was given a cameo performance.

Coach Rating

Fabio Capello 6.5: Not a fan of the 4-4-2 to say the least, however Cabbage got his boys ready for this game. He deserves a lot of credit for bringing in Adam Johnson. It will be interesting to see his tactics for Switzerland on Tuesday.